While I had come to the open gym area, I never mean to lift weights here today. Instead, I made my way to the freezers over at the corner and retrieved an ice pack for my legs. Remembering the immense physical strain I put on them when I was desperately running for my life made my face twist in mental pain.
"Oi smarty, pass me a drink will you?" (David)
"David, stop calling me that or I won't pass you anything." (Me)
"Tch, you're as weird as ever." (David)
Oi. I don't want to hear that from someone who drinks beer to hydrate themselves instead of water or isotonic beverages during their workout.
I opened the other freezer that stores the beverages and grabbed two cans of beer with my free hand. Walking over to David, I notice someone approaching me from afar. Although I can guess the motive of the person, I kept my silence and awaited his approach. Placing the beer cans at his feet, I moved away from David and the others in order not to drag them into the situation.
I sat down on a nearby bench and iced my legs. The cold stings, but I somehow enjoyed the cooling sensation. Maybe David was right. I might be weird.
"Hey, Unit 5236."
I looked up. But I didn't reply.
"You were with Kelly… Unit 4622, right?"
"Yes." (Me)
"You know who I am, right?"
"Yes. You are Unit 4621." (Me)
"I heard she was in your team in the recent expedition." (4621)
"Yes, that is right." (Me)
"Did she come back?" (4621)
"No." (Me)
I replied the person in front of me without hesitation, without averting my eyes, and with all my seriousness and sincerity. Insensitive as it may, anyone from the orphanage in my situation knows that doing otherwise is a form of disrespect around here. But not everyone can control their human emotions properly. Especially not when someone close to you is lost.
Before I knew it, I was forcefully grabbed by the collar of my uniform and lifted from the bench. The ice pack fell from my legs, clattering on the ground. There were visible drops of water on the floor, but they were in no means the condensation on the ice pack.
Nobody uttered a word.
"I know it probably isn't your fault. I know, damn it! But let me hit you once. Or let me settle it with fight at the arena…" (4621)
The grip on my shirt tightened, and the feeling became uncomfortable. It was even worse that my body is dangling by the neck. But I chose not to resist, because I understood his feelings. I was about to accept his offer when someone interjected.
"Hey Kelvin, won't you spare him from this once?" (David)
Both Kelvin and I turn our necks and stared at him, though for different reasons. Hey David, I knew you were all muscles but don't tell me that where your brain was, only muscle resides there?
Before Kelvin shouted in anger, David quietly spoke.
"Just look at him Kelvin. That injury isn't something a sane person would accept a fight with."
Kelvin turned his head back and looked at the bandages wrapped around my torso. I didn't notice that when he lifted me by the collar, the uniform was raised somewhat and revealed my bandages. Add to the slap David gave to me as a greeting, the bleeding started again, albeit minor. I didn't turn my head back to Kelvin because I did not want to face him after David came to my rescue. I felt like not giving him myself as an outlet of release is letting him down.
The grip on my uniform further tightened. But after a while, I was lowered back to the ground.
At some point in time, David stopped his bicep curls and walked towards us with a beer in each hand. He put a gentle arm around Kelvin and guided him to the bench where I was sitting at. Slowly, he nudged a can of beer into Kelvin's palm. Damn it David, why were you never this gentle with me?
"Hey bro, I know anyone here can't understand your pain now. But that fella over there," he pointed at me, "he's battered and bruised and bleeding. So how about I offer you something else to release yourself? Or what do you say I become your opponent?"
David flashed Kelvin a smile and flexed a pose.
After a while, Kelvin silently accepted his can of beer and opened it.
I quietly approached them and took a seat on the other side of Kelvin after retrieving the ice pack from the floor.
"Hey." (Kelvin)
I looked at the ground and continued to ice my legs without any words.
"Could you at least, tell me about it? How'd she go." (Kelvin)
"…an impact to the back, broke her spine." (Me)
Kelvin grimaced. He took a long swig of his beer and looked at me. I took his silence as the hint to continue.
"We were tasked to locate and secure the objective. There was a snake-like guardian that had keen senses and a whip like tail that is thicker than tree trunks and travelled at speed eyes could hardly follow. A divine beast." (Me)
Kelvin closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. The stains on his face that glittered silver increased as new tears began to flow.
"The team wiped. One probably got smashed to the ground. The other lost the top half of his body. Kelly did her best. She was the one that took the objective, and it got passed to me." (Me)
I thought I saw him clench his fist and give a smile out of the corner of my eye.
"…at the very least, I knew she was at her best in her final moments." (Kelvin)
"…hey smarty, what about you?" (David)
I gave him a glare of warning that held no effect to the big man himself.
"…I ran. It is a cowardly act, but I had a task to complete. At some point in time, I hid by digging and burying myself underground with the oxygen mask on. But it still found me. I got hit and a hole opened on my sides. Then I kept crawling away until somehow I got saved by someone." (Me)
"Saved? Who?" (David)
Kelvin has eyes of suspicion that clearly showed his thoughts.
"I can't remember. I know I crawled for quite a bit so the blood loss made my senses hazy." (Me)
"I see… So? What's the official verdict?" (David)
I hung my head still. I quietly chose my words to not agitate anyone hearing us. The words 'Divine Beast' have already caught quite some attention.
"The usual, punishment, top tier."
Many faces paled.
David scrunched his eyebrows so much I was sure his smooth baby face would have its first wrinkles there and then.
"Again? What are they thinking!?" (David)
I shushed the big man who was getting louder by the instant and looked him in the eyes. The people who knew of my circumstances had grim looks on their faces.
"Surveillance. Cameras." (Me)
They understood.
After a few more swigs of beer, Kelvin opened his mouth.
"Judging from what I heard, how many times have you been issued that verdict already?" (Kelvin)
I shut my mouth. David similarly became still like a statue. Noticing something, Kelvin played a forceful card.
"You are the one closest to my sister's side on her final moments. I have some right to know this much." (Kelvin)
I hesitated. This was not something that should be spread amongst people. But I found myself unable to refuse Kelvin's request. In reluctance, I muttered in a low voice.
"As far as I have personally recorded the number by myself… The one in two hours' time is the seventy-second." (Me)
Kelvin held his breath.
***
Three hours passed, and I currently stood at my destination.
"Take a seat."
I took my time sitting down, while surveying the room I've come to be familiar with. I ignored the doctor that is rustling around with his surgical instruments and various other tools.
"You're the regular, eh?" (Doctor)
I kept my silence. It is not protest or defiance in any way. Rather, this has already become something I'm accustomed with, so much so that I had ceased to care at some point.
More than that, there is a single difference in the scene in the room that I'm used to.
"Ah, you noticed huh. He is here today because the usual healing mage fell ill. Hazy with fever so he can't make it today. We had to get a replacement somehow." (Doctor)
"Hello… I'm Hans. Please treat me well." (New healing mage)
I only gave him a nod of acknowledgement.
"Well, just do what I do. Don't think too much about it. Since it's your first time in this sector, just hang on and do your best. Think of it as a learning trip until the regular comes back from his sickness." (Regular healing mage)
"Alright… Thanks. It's fine, I have heard some things about this. But I've got to ask, why does this need two of us? I thought this only needed one healing mage." (Hans)
"Ah… Well… he's special." (Regular healing mage)
The temporary member had a questioning look but decided to stay silent.
"Well, let's begin. Which type first, Unit 5236?" (Doctor)
"The usual." (Me)
"Ha… you're insane as always." (Doctor)
The doctor strapped me to the seat I was in and made sure I was bound tightly so that movement or escape was futile. He then turned towards his collection and selected a surgical carver as well as a syringe.
"Usually people go with overall treatment first since it is easier. The shock of the body is spread throughout, that's why. Then they could endure the more intense ones. But you go the opposite way." (Doctor)
The doctor injected me with a fluid and waited by my side. Eventually, my senses are amplified. Normally, this drug is issued to our members tasked with special expeditions that require it for an extra edge. It is a double edged sword that nobody would use it voluntarily unless the situation calls for its necessity. It amplifies the senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste…
…and pain.
Somewhere on my body, I clearly felt a foreign object enter my body in a manner that couldn't be called smooth or rough. But in a swift motion I saw the doctor's arm rise; just like that, a portion of my flesh is gone. Blood proceed to spurt, followed by an overwhelming assault on my nerves that made my face scrunch up and my palms closing into fists to keep my sanity. But I did not scream or yell.
No, I am not acting tough.
Rather, I do not want to risk biting my tongue off due to the doctor's consecutive and unrelenting sadistic assaults.
Due to my amplified sight, I saw the temporary healing mage choke.
Another portion of my flesh was lost.
"Well honestly, whoever among the officials that came up with this method and term it punishment, that person isn't sane. To enact torture in an official manner and back it with a reason that the subject can better resist pain, either the person is a master of this or just haven't tried it and does this for entertainment purposes only." (Doctor)
Smash.
He had grabbed a hammer at some point in time and transformed one of my fingers into pulp when I unclenched my fists. With rapid succession, he hammered them in rhythm to the tune he is humming. The temporary healing mage began to vomit into a bag that the regular had already prepared in advance.
"Ah… it can't be helped… You may have to do this alone today John." (Doctor)
Smash, smash.
"Well… I'd tire out before half of this is done. Can't you cut it short?" (John)
"No can do. You know what it means to go against the officials. Staff aren't spared either." (Doctor)
Smash, smash, smash.
The doctor had run out of fingers and moved on to my toes.
"You'd better get Hans up and going. This fella has got stabbing, immolation, poisoning, electric treatment, suffocation, and a whole lot waiting for him today. It's the usual. He's going to lose either his body parts or his sanity if the healing magic can't keep up." (Doctor)